


Of Stomach Cramps and Baby Bubbles

by Fenix21



Series: And Then They Were Three... [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, Sick!Jensen, emotional stress, mpreg!jared, pregnancy hormones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-12 23:39:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3359582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenix21/pseuds/Fenix21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen forgets his meds on a convention trip and pays the price.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Stomach Cramps and Baby Bubbles

“Jen, I’m not going out there.”

Jared turned sideways and examined his profile in the mirror. At nearly four and a half months pregnant, he still believed he looked more like he’d developed a beer gut than he was carrying a baby that was barely the length of his palm and weighed in at less than one of his size fifteen sneakers.

He scowled at his reflection and smoothed a hand over the front of his shirt. There was enough of a swell there that the discerning might just suspect it was a baby bump, though, and that was the last thing he wanted here and now.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew their adoring fans would be thrilled for both him and Jensen, but he wasn’t ready to be fawned over like that yet. He wanted this pregnancy to be private and low key. This was for him and Jensen to share, not the whole world. It was amazing they’d managed to keep it under wraps this long, but their fellow cast members and the crew had been angels in helping them maintain their secret so far. Sure, there were a few rumors flying around the net, but when weren’t there?

The convention season was nearly over and they only had two more of these to do next month before he and Jensen would both be removed from the schedule until the baby came in April.

Still…

Jared felt overexposed for some reason and nervous. He pushed his hands back through his hair and turned away from the mirror.

“Jensen, I don’t think—.”

Jared was stopped short by the distinctive sound of vomiting from the bathroom. His stomach twisted in uncomfortable memory of the near and dear relationship he’d had with their own toilet bowl at home until only the last few weeks.

“Jensen?”

Jared caught himself just before barging through the door. Jensen had a real hang up about people seeing him sick—yet another characteristic he shared with Dean Winchester—in any way, shape, or form even if it was only a head cold. But when Jared heard nothing but more retching, he set his jaw and pushed open the door.

Jensen was on one knee over the toilet, arms locked and shaking, holding himself up between the sink edge and the tub. He was pale and sweaty and his face was pinched in pain.

“Oh, Jesus, Jen….” Jared dropped down beside him and immediately soaked a washcloth to wipe Jensen’s face. “Was it something you ate?”

Jensen sucked in a shaky, tentative breath and gave Jared a weak smile. “Yeah. Everything I ate.”

“I knew I should have just ordered in for us,” Jared said with a sympathetic frown.

The stomach disorder that Jensen claimed not to be able to pronounce was actually Gastroparesis; and while not anywhere near fatal, it was a life altering disease. Jensen’s case was idiopathic with no discernible, treatable cause that left the doctors sucking their thumbs and unable to do anything for him but prescribe what amounted to acid reducers and painkillers and a strict low fiber diet.

“No, it wasn’t—fuck!” 

Jensen tensed, pitched forward, and heaved up the rest of the contents of his stomach. Jared kept a hand on his shoulder and waited for him to finish before helping him sit back against the tub and wiping his face again. 

“Sorry, ‘bout this,” Jensen mumbled.

Jared rolled his eyes. “Good grief, Jensen, you don’t have to apologize for being sick! I’m just sorry it didn’t sit well. I honestly don’t remember you eating that much, but apparently….”

Actually, Jensen hadn’t eaten much at all. After declaring himself famished when the last panel was over yesterday afternoon, he’d looked surprisingly green by the time they got to dinner with the gang almost three hours later and had eaten less than a quarter of what was on his plate before saying he was full. Jared thought maybe it was just his stomach flaring up because of all the travel lately and that it had taken so long for everyone to decide on dinner plans, so he hadn’t pushed the issue.

Jared scowled and sat back a little. “Jensen, is there something more going on here?” Jensen shot him a look from under his lashes. “Jensen?”

“I left my meds at home,” Jensen admitted with a one shoulder shrug.

“You what? I put them right by your bag for you!”

“I know,” Jensen said miserably, “but I was distracted.”

Jared pulled a face. “Distracted, my ass.”

“Actually, it _was_ your ass distracting me,” Jensen said with a tired grin.

Jared smacked his shoulder. “It’s not my fault I’m utterly irresistible. But seriously, why didn’t you tell me? Or Cliff? Have him go get you a refill at the local pharmacy? I’m sure Miranda would have called it in for you.”

Dr. Miranda Benning was the specialist treating Jensen, and Jared was absolutely right, she would have phoned in an emergency script.

“I didn’t want to put anyone to the trouble for just the couple of days we were going to be here. I really thought I’d be all right. I did have Cliff go get me some over-the-counter stuff, and it helped part of it, but the rest….”

“Right.” Jared blew out a breath. “You’re not going to be able to eat _anything_ are you?”

“Probably not.” Jensen shook his head. “If I do, the same thing will happen, or worse—it won’t. And that can just lead to bigger problems.”

“Well, let me at least call room service and have them bring up some juice and tea and maybe some broth? We need to get a few calories in you at any rate, or you’re never going to make it through the day.” Jensen nodded and Jared stood up, offering a hand. “You think you can get up?”

“Yeah, but I still need a shower. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Jensen waved Jared off and he went, a little reluctantly and pulling his irritated-worry face, but he went, closing the door most of the way behind him.

As soon as Jared was out of the room, Jensen folded over, arms wrapped around his middle. He felt like he had a lead weight in his stomach despite being pretty damn sure he’d thrown up everything he’d eaten in the last ten hours. And whoever thought just throwing up was painful, had never tried throwing up completely undigested food. It was worse—a lot worse—and his throat felt raw and scraped. Besides the too heavy feeling in his gut, though, he was cramping badly as well, and despite Jared’s optimistic outlook, Jensen honestly doubted his ability to get downstairs to the lobby, much less last through a whole day of Q&As, photo-ops, and panels.

He didn’t have much of a choice, though. He didn’t want to let the fans down, but not only that, he knew how nervous Jared was getting at these public appearances, and he didn’t want to send him out to face all that alone even though he knew Jared would go without a single complaint.

He grimaced, bit back a groan that verged on a whine, and pushed up off the floor. If he didn’t get the water on soon, Jared would come back all worried again, and that was something else Jensen didn’t want. He didn’t want Jared worrying about him and his damn malfunctioning digestive system when all he should be worrying about— _enjoying_ actually—was their baby and keeping himself rested and healthy. It was one of the reasons he’d had a quiet conversation with the producers about cutting out their appearances at the conventions by Christmas and not picking back up until at least next summer or whenever Jared felt comfortable about getting back into it.

This trip, though, he was going to have to admit defeat on that score. He pushed the faucet over to hot, thinking maybe the steam and hot water would help him relax at least, and gingerly climbed out of his sleep pants and t-shirt.

“Jen?” Jared knocked on the door. “I’m sending Cliff out for some stuff. Do you think you can handle milk? It would be good for calories and protein.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jensen answered, trying not to grit his teeth.

“Anything else in particular you want?”

“Nope. Whatever you get is fine.”

“Okay.” Jared lingered at the door. “You doing okay?”

“Awesome,” Jensen said.

Jared rolled his eyes and moved away, finishing his text to Cliff for the items he needed. He’d thought they had this disorder of Jensen’s well in hand, and they mostly did, but it was Jared who kept such fastidious track of his diet and medications, and if he let up for one second it seemed, Jensen would slip off the wagon. Not on purpose, and not because he didn’t want to try and stay well; but Jensen himself was at the bottom of his own priority list—the one person in his life who got the least of his time and attention because he was spending it on everyone else.

Jared’s hand drifted over the swell of his belly, and he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He wondered sometimes if this wasn’t all really bad timing. After all, Jensen needed to focus on himself right now and getting well, or at least getting a handle on all this stomach business; and even though filming was done for the season, they still had conventions and publicity dates being thrown at them every time they turned around. With the baby thrown in on top of that, Jensen had little time or energy to spend on his own needs, and Jared felt no little bit of guilt for his part in that.

A tiny flutter behind his belly button distracted him from his unpleasant thoughts. His breath caught a little, like it always did when he felt the baby move, and he smiled. It wasn’t enough that he could feel much of anything through the palm he had laying over the spot, more like a flurry of effervescent bubbles popping inside him. It almost tickled. He wanted so much to tell Jensen that he was starting to be able to really feel their baby inside him, but Jensen was so eager and anxious to share in this pregnancy, that Jared didn’t have the heart to tell him and then see the disappointment in his face when he couldn’t really feel anything himself. Jared was determined to wait until that tiny fluttering became a definitive kick that would meet Jensen’s palm with enough force to knock him for a loop and leave him just as awestruck as the moment he figured out he was actually going to be a father.

A knock at the door jolted Jared from his musings and heralded room service and the hot tea and juice the restaurant was able to provide along with some plain Cream of Wheat for Jared because he sure as hell wasn’t going to sit in front of Jensen and eat a plate full of waffles—no matter how much he wanted them—when Jensen wouldn’t be able to eat anything at all.

Twenty minutes later it was Cliff at the door with milk, bullion, more antacids, a selection of protein and diet drinks that promised calories with no fiber—fiber being the deal breaker when Jensen was having a bad stomach day—and ginger root that Miranda had suggested as a good daily tonic, as the natural warmth of the root would promote blood flow to help Jensen digest his food and at the same time soothe any upset.

“How’s he doing?” Cliff asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jared admitted, throwing a troubled look at the bathroom door. The shower was still running and he hadn’t heard any other sounds in a while.

“Is he gonna make it?” 

Cliff glanced at his watch a little skeptically, reminding Jared that they had less than an hour before their first panel and the convention center was twenty minutes away. Jared shrugged uneasily in answer and went to knock softly on the door.

“Jen, you just about done? Cliff’s back with some stuff from the store if you think you can get something down.”

There was no answer, but the water shut off and Jared waited at the door for a tense minute until it finally swung slowly back.

“Jensen?”

Jared barely got his name out before Jensen was folding over into his arms and Cliff was across the room and taking most of Jensen’s weight and helping him to he bed. Jensen immediately curled into a ball, letting out little erratic whimpers of pain through clenched teeth.

Jared jerked a blanket up over his still wet, naked body and leaned over him, covering and cradling him. Cliff stood at the foot of the bed looking stunned.

“Jesus…I had no idea it was this bad, Jared.

“It isn’t usually,” Jared said, rubbing a hand up and down the spasming muscles in Jensen’s back. “But he left his meds at home.”

“He sent me to get—.”

“No. His prescriptions.”

“It’s _that_ bad?” Cliff said.

Jared nodded. “If he doesn’t take them religiously, _this_ is what happens.”

“Holy shit….” Cliff ran a hand over his jaw. “Is there anything I can do?”

Jensen let out a soft cry and curled into himself tighter, panting with the intensity of the  pain in his stomach. Jared hushed him with a tender hand to his forehead and cheek and made a decision.

“Yes. Find me pharmacy that’s open on Sunday and get me the name and number. I’m calling his doctor.”

“Jay….” Jensen started to protest.

“Don’t argue with me, Jensen,” Jared warned. “How in the hell do you think we’re going to get you on a plane in the morning in this condition?”

“I just…need a few minutes,” Jensen said tightly. “Need to get up…get dressed so we can go.”

“Man, I don’t think you should be going anywhere right now,” Cliff said, still thumbing through his phone in search of a pharmacy. “Here, Jared. This one is just a few blocks away, and they deliver, too.”

Jared took Cliff’s phone and started dialing Miranda’s after hours service. “Even if they don’t, you can of pick it up.”

“I don’t think he should be alone like this, do you?” Cliff asked.

Jared gave him a confused look, holding the phone to his ear as it started to ring. “He won’t be. I’ll be with him—yes, Dr. Benning’s nurse, please. This is Jared Padalecki calling for Jensen Ackels. It’s a bit of an emergency.”

Jared spoke with the nurse who in turn got hold of Miranda while he was still on the phone and had an emergency supply of Jensen’s scripts sent to the pharmacy Cliff had found with an order to rush them.

When he hung up, Cliff was watching him a little uneasily.

“What’s wrong, Cliff?”

“Jared, you need to get to the convention center,” he said, moving around to the opposite side of the bed to sit down carefully. “Ryan is downstairs in the lobby. He’ll take you while I stay here with Jensen.”

“What?” Jared stared at him, dumbfounded. “No. I’m staying here. I’m not leaving him like this.”

“Jay….” 

Jensen reached out a hand and Jared took it. “Right here, Jen,” he soothed. “Not going anywhere.”

“Cliff’s right. You need to go.” Jensen managed to unfurl himself a little with some effort and looked up at Jared. “ _You_ at least need to be there, if I can’t.”

“I’m not leaving,” Jared repeated.

Jensen sighed, but it mutated into a pained gasp, and he cringed at another stomach cramp. When he caught his breath again and could speak, he squeezed Jared’s hand and said, “You wanted me to be honest, Jay. You wanted me not to hide anything from you…about how goddamn much this hurts!” 

He squeezed his eyes shut for a second and sucked in a breath as another cramp assailed him. Jared slid into the floor to bring himself eye level with Jensen and smoothed a broad palm over his cheek, forehead, and down his neck, stroking reassuringly. 

“Jensen, what can I do for you?”

“Go to the convention.”

“I—.”

“Dammit, Jared!” The pain was putting Jensen too much on edge and making his temper short. Jared clamped his mouth shut. “You can’t just drop everything when this happens. You can’t put the world on hold for me.”

“I damn well can!” Jared retorted. 

“No, Jared, you can’t. Now, you need to get your pretty ass downstairs and let Ryan take you to the convention center.”

“Jensen….” Jared was near tears, and he hated himself for it. Admittedly, he was a lot more emotional than Jensen, but being pregnant was taking an extra toll on his emotions and seemed to have him crying at the drop of a hat. And he shouldn’t be, because it was just going to make Jensen feel worse. Jensen was the one hurting, he was the one in pain and deserved to be shedding tears—which he wasn’t because he was so goddamn strong.

“Hey…hey, now,” Jensen whispered, stroking the side of Jared’s hand with his thumb. “No tears. You’re gonna be great. You always are. It’s you they love anyway. I’m just an add-on.”

Jared snorted, but it accomplished what Jensen wanted.  It broke the tension that was pushing Jared to tears, and he leaned in and kissed Jensen fiercely on the lips.

“You are _never_ an add-on, Jensen Ackles,” Jared said against Jensen’s mouth. “But you win, all right? I’ll go.” He leaned back. “You take your meds when they get here, don’t give Cliff any grief, and I want to see your bright, smiling face when I get back tonight.”

“No promises,” Jensen said, breathing through another fierce cramp and accompanying wave of nausea. “But I’ll do my best.”

Jared nodded, kissed him again, smooth a hand over his short soft hair, and levered himself off the floor.

“I’ll be back just as soon as I can.”

——

As soon as he could turned out to be nearly nine o’clock that night.

When he finally got back to the hotel, Jared was exhausted, physically and emotionally. It had been a long and tiring day of panels and Q&A sessions. The photo-ops had been canceled due to Jensen’s illness and the fact that neither of them ever did solo photo-ops with the fans. The fans were more concerned for Jensen’s return to good health than they were disappointed by his lack of attendance which warmed Jared’s heart to the point he nearly broke down in tears on three separate occasions.

Ryan insisted on accompanying him up to his floor of the hotel and promised that he or Cliff would be in the lobby by seven in the morning to get them to the airport. Jared thanked him and left him at the elevators.

Cliff was at the small table by the half wall separating the kitchenette from the rest of the suite reading a biography of some obscure WWII era scientist when Jared crept quietly into the room. Jensen was on his side on the bed, facing the door, asleep.

Jared dropped his bag by the bathroom and went to sit across from Cliff at the table.

“How’s he doing?”

Cliff folded his book closed and rubbed at his eyes. “Better. He fell asleep around three. Been passed out ever since. I think your doc prescribed some sort of sedative, too. You get my texts?”

“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t hardly have time to breathe today,” Jared apologized. Cliff had kept him abreast of Jensen’s condition throughout the day with quick hourly updates to which Jared was no end of grateful. “And thanks for that, I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it.” Cliff gave him an appraising look. “Want some coffee?”

As good as it sounded to just sit and sip something warm for a few quiet minutes, Jared had sworn off of caffeine for the duration of his pregnancy. He grazed a hand across his belly and sighed. “No, thanks.”

Cliff smiled a little. “It’s decaf. Or I can fix you some tea.”

Jared smiled back. “Well then, yes. I’ll take a cup. Thanks.”

Cliff got up, fished a clean cup from the sink, and brought it back to Jared topped off and steaming.

“You eaten yet?”

Jared took a sip of the strong coffee. He didn’t usually take it black, but he wasn’t going to complain. “Uh, no. I haven’t. Not since lunch anyway.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Thanks, Cliff, but I’m really not hungry.”

“Should eat something anyway,” Cliff replied, his eyes shifting down to Jared’s middle and back again.

Jared smiled at that. Jensen would say the same thing. “I suppose you’re right, but I imagine the dining room is already closed.”

“Leave that to me.” Cliff winked. “I’ll rustle something up.”

“Nothing too much, just something light, okay?” Jared said. “Has he eaten at all?”

Cliff glanced at the bed where Jensen was still sound asleep. “Not really. The medication settled his stomach, and he drank some juice, but he fell asleep before he felt like trying anything solid.”

“Maybe see if you could find some plain rice or pasta?” Jared asked.

“Sure thing. I’ll see what I can do. Be back in a few.”

After Cliff left, Jared pushed his coffee away and went over to the bed. He carefully crawled up behind Jensen and snugged up against his back, wrapping an arm around his chest and pulling him as close as he could. Jensen stirred and nestled back against him.

“Hey,” Jared whispered when Jensen sleepily turned his head back over his shoulder for a soft kiss.

“Hey, yourself.”

Jensen’s eyes were barely open and his face was sleep softened, and Jared felt his eyes burning yet again with tears as his heart expanded almost painfully in his chest with an overwhelming feeling of tenderness. He pressed his face into the back of Jensen’s shoulder so he wouldn’t see.

“How was your day?” Jensen’s voice was a little hoarse and sleep slurred.

“Good,” Jared said. “Exhausting, but good. Everyone missed you and sends their best wishes for you getting better soon.”

“Nice of them.”

“Yes, it was,” Jared agreed, and he had to hold his breath for a second until his diaphragm gave up trying to force put the inexplicable sob building inside him.

Jensen pressed back a little to get Jared’s full attention. “You okay, Jay?”

Jared nodded against Jensen’s shoulder. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a…really long day.”

“I’m sorry, Jared,” Jensen said, soft and serious.

“Not your fault. You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” Jared countered quickly before letting a heavy sigh escape. “I’m just not holding up under the stress all that well lately, I guess.”

“You’re doing fine, Jared,” Jensen assured him and tugged the hand on his chest upward so he could lay kisses across Jared’s knuckles. “Besides, you’re allowed. You’ve got a very good reason to have the occasional emotional breakdown,” he teased gently.

“Right,” Jared scoffed.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, and Jared was just reaching the level of comfortably dozing off when a sudden explosion of bubbly activity behind his belly button caught him unawares and he gasped, tensing momentarily at the new feeling.

“Jared?”

“It’s fine,” he assured quickly. “I’m okay. It was—.”

“Was that the baby?” Jensen asked in hushed awe.

Jared froze. “You…felt that?”

“I…think so.” Jensen pressed his lower back more firmly against Jared’s belly and they lay perfectly still together for a long couple of minutes until another flurried burst of activity in Jared’s belly made him almost laugh in relief.

“Oh my God!” Jensen rolled over, looking up at Jared with wide eyes. He pushed a hand up under Jared’s shirt and curved his palm against the swell of his belly and waited, breath held in anticipation, until he was rewarded with another bubbly flutter.

Jared couldn’t contain his tears this time. He rolled onto his back and covered his face with his hands. Jensen’s hand greedily followed him across the space as he leaned up on an elbow and stretched to kiss the backs of Jared’s hands until he uncovered his face and looked at Jensen’s glowing little-boy smile through a watery one of his own.

“My God…” Jensen breathed. “That’s our baby. I felt our baby move!”

Jared just nodded, smiling through more tears, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Jensen was pressing his cheek against Jared’s belly now, eyes sparkling, and grinning madly. Jared bit into the meat of his hand to hold back a heaving sob, and Jensen looked up in concern.

“Jay? Hey…hey, babe, don’t cry,” he crooned softly, moving to brush gentle kisses across Jared’s lips and then his high cheekbones and the corners of his eyes where tears were spilling out to wet the pillow beneath his head.

“You said…I-I could,” Jared managed through uneven, hiccuping breaths.

Jensen chuckled and nuzzled at Jared’s throat. “That’s true, I did,” he said. “But I hope they’re happy tears?”

“Yes. God, yes!” Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen’s shoulders and held him tight. “So happy.”

“Good.” Jensen returned Jared’s strong embrace. “Then I’m happy, too.”

He slid back down Jared’s long torso and undid the bottom buttons of Jared’s shirt to bare the healthy swell of his belly. “Hey, baby,” he whispered and pressed a warm kiss beside Jared’s belly button. “Gonna move for me again?”

Jared moaned, soft and defeated, at the sweet gesture and eager, coaxing tone of Jensen’s voice. “I’m going to cry again, Jen,” he warned.

“Go right ahead, babe.” Jensen smiled against Jared’s warm skin.

Another flutter made Jared gasp and Jensen jump a little and then laugh, but his eyes turned suddenly serious.

“It doesn’t hurt you, does it?” he asked cautiously.

“No! Oh no, not at all. It feels…really good actually,” Jared answered. “Reassuring that he’s going to be good and strong…like his daddy.”

Jensen blushed a little. “So long as he’s as handsome as his other daddy, he’ll have the world by the tail. “ He pulled a face. “And we’ll have our hands full fending off all the girls.”

“Or boys,” Jared teased and stroked Jensen’s cheek with his fingertips. “I love you, Jensen.”

“I love you, too,” Jensen said and planted another kiss on Jared’s belly. “Both of you.”

——

When Cliff came back thirty minutes later with a pint of white rice, a grilled chicken salad on baby greens, and two fruit and yogurt parfaits, he received no answer to his soft knock at the room door. He listened hard for a long minute and then dared to unlock it and poke his head inside.

Jared and Jensen were tangled in each other in the middle of the bed sound asleep, Jared’s long limbs wrapped all around Jensen, and Jensen’s hand resting possessively on Jared’s bare belly.

Cliff smiled and averted his eyes from the sweetly intimate scene, tucked his bags of food into the little fridge, and shut off the lights. He let himself out quietly with a softly whispered,

“Sweet dreams, guys.”

**Author's Note:**

> Gastroparesis is a chronic disorder of the stomach that causes partial paralysis of the stomach wall which inhibits the digestion of food and the emptying of the stomach. I only researched it, no personal experience, so if I've got anything horribly wrong, I apologize.


End file.
